0:00:01.360,0:00:03.140 Hey, welcome to New Frame Plus, 0:00:03.140,0:00:05.440 a series about video game animation. 0:00:05.440,0:00:10.780 We have spend the last month marveling at[br]Red Dead Redemption 2’s tiny little details. 0:00:10.780,0:00:15.980 The way your main character’s facial hair[br]grows in real time and requires regular shaving. 0:00:15.980,0:00:18.540 The way you have to dress appropriately [br]for the weather. 0:00:18.540,0:00:23.180 The way your guy visibly gains or loses weight[br]depending on how much you feed him. 0:00:23.180,0:00:27.160 This game seems to have an infinite quantity[br]of those novel elements, 0:00:27.160,0:00:31.420 a million tiny recreations [br]of realistic detail from our world. 0:00:31.420,0:00:34.340 I want to talk about the animation[br]in Red Dead 2 today, 0:00:34.340,0:00:39.600 because animation (naturally) plays a huge role[br]in creating that sense of simulated realism, 0:00:39.600,0:00:43.260 and it highlights a question[br]I’ve been pondering for a while now: 0:00:50.580,0:00:51.980 To explain what I’m talking about, 0:00:51.980,0:00:55.140 let’s look at a particular subset[br]of these animation details: 0:00:55.140,0:00:59.480 the way your main character interacts[br]with collectable objects in the game world. 0:00:59.480,0:01:03.480 You know: the looting system,[br]the gathering system... that particular stuff. 0:01:03.480,0:01:08.200 Say you’ve just survived a shootout and[br]your opponents lay scattered before you... 0:01:08.200,0:01:10.300 You can loot all of them, and when you do, 0:01:10.300,0:01:12.740 Arthur (your character) will approach them, 0:01:12.740,0:01:16.920 bend down, lift them by the collar[br]and pat them down for valuables. 0:01:16.920,0:01:19.220 There are multiple versions of this animation. 0:01:19.960,0:01:22.640 Say you’re in a building and you want to[br]loot the place… 0:01:22.640,0:01:25.120 If you see a collectable item sitting on a table, 0:01:25.120,0:01:28.800 just hold the loot button[br]and Arthur will actually reach out, 0:01:28.800,0:01:30.899 pick it up and stuff it into his satchel. 0:01:30.899,0:01:35.870 He will physically open cupboards and drawers,[br]and grab the contents individually. 0:01:35.870,0:01:39.420 Is there a piece of paper or a photo over[br]there you want to check out? 0:01:39.420,0:01:42.660 Arthur will approach, pick it up[br]and hold it for you to see, 0:01:42.660,0:01:45.880 flipping it over if you like[br]before returning it to its place. 0:01:45.880,0:01:48.780 Did you spot an herb out there in the wild [br]that you want to gather? 0:01:48.780,0:01:53.539 Watch Arthur kneel down to pluck it,[br]actually strip it of the leaves and bits he wants 0:01:53.540,0:01:55.340 then stuff all that into his satchel! 0:01:55.340,0:01:56.680 Feeling hungry at camp? 0:01:56.680,0:02:00.320 Arthur will actually spoon himself up[br]some stew from the pot, 0:02:00.320,0:02:04.060 then you can walk around and eat that stew,[br]bite by bite, at your leisure. 0:02:04.060,0:02:08.160 And then he drops the bowl on the ground because[br]I guess we were raised in a barn, ARTHUR. 0:02:08.170,0:02:09.860 We’ve all got to live on this hill, man. 0:02:09.860,0:02:10.869 Pick up after yourself. 0:02:10.869,0:02:13.720 Did that mean old bandit punch your hat right[br]off? 0:02:13.720,0:02:17.840 Better go pick it up and put it right back[br]on your head, like that's an EASY thing to do. 0:02:17.840,0:02:21.000 You want to head out on foot[br]but then you realize you forgot your rifle? 0:02:21.000,0:02:25.500 Well, just head back to your horse and watch[br]Arthur grab the rifle off of his horse’s saddle 0:02:25.500,0:02:27.360 and sling it over his shoulder. 0:02:27.360,0:02:30.300 Do you realize how HARD[br]that had to have been to get right? 0:02:30.300,0:02:34.680 And I know the horses' balls shrinking in cold[br]weather is kind of a played out punchline at this point 0:02:34.680,0:02:36.860 but *BLEEP* man, that ACTUALLY HAPPENS. 0:02:36.860,0:02:41.660 I feel like we’ve become numb to the fact[br]through sheer repetition but that’s actually real! 0:02:41.660,0:02:47.400 I can barely fathom the thousands upon thousands[br]of animations and supplemental animation systems 0:02:47.409,0:02:52.140 built into this game, much less the technical[br]wizardry required to make it all actually 0:02:52.140,0:02:54.500 look and function the way it was intended. 0:02:54.500,0:02:56.260 This is mind boggling. 0:02:56.260,0:02:58.380 Most games don’t DO stuff like this. 0:02:58.380,0:03:02.020 They don’t actually show these kinds of[br]actions in animation. 0:03:02.020,0:03:06.820 And if they DO actually animate some interactions[br]like this, they don’t animate NEARLY this many. 0:03:06.820,0:03:11.680 It’s really impressive what Red Dead Redemption 2’s[br]dev team have achieved here. 0:03:11.680,0:03:14.980 But the question I’m now left asking[br]as a game animator 0:03:14.980,0:03:18.100 (now that my jaw is finally up off the floor) is this: 0:03:21.780,0:03:26.480 To what extent does this massive showcase[br]of realistically-animated detail 0:03:26.480,0:03:28.860 enhance the Red Dead game experience? 0:03:28.860,0:03:34.140 Enough to be worth the thousands of expensive[br]work hours that were no-doubt required to create them? 0:03:34.140,0:03:37.240 And I’m not even asking this in reference[br]to the working conditions 0:03:37.240,0:03:41.500 and the excessive quantities of unpaid overtime Rockstar demands of its employees 0:03:41.500,0:03:44.880 (although that is unquestionably[br]the most important factor here). 0:03:44.880,0:03:49.660 But let’s put that aside for a second[br]and just talk strictly in terms of cost-benefit: 0:03:49.660,0:03:54.520 is the impact these animations[br]have on the play experience positive? 0:03:54.520,0:03:59.880 And is it positive enough to be worth the[br]enormous financial investment required to create them? 0:04:00.080,0:04:01.200 On the one hand... 0:04:01.200,0:04:02.260 ...maybe so? 0:04:02.260,0:04:04.620 I mean, it IS amazing to look at. 0:04:04.620,0:04:08.680 And knowing what went into creating it[br]only makes the spectacle more impressive. 0:04:08.680,0:04:13.600 There is something to the fact[br]that half of the positive buzz[br]surrounding this game since release 0:04:13.600,0:04:17.180 has been the lot of us marveling[br]about all these little details. 0:04:17.180,0:04:22.350 It’s not often these days that a AAA game[br]can push fidelity far enough past what its 0:04:22.350,0:04:28.100 competitors are doing for us to actually sit[br]up and take notice and 'ooo' and 'ahhh' over it. 0:04:28.100,0:04:33.320 That novelty value alone has almost certainly[br]led to SOME increase in sales, right? 0:04:33.320,0:04:36.420 But has it led to enough to offset the costs? 0:04:36.420,0:04:38.760 Because this stuff IS expensive! 0:04:38.760,0:04:42.300 You need skilled animators,[br]you need really skilled technical animators, 0:04:42.300,0:04:44.860 and really skilled engineers working with them. 0:04:44.860,0:04:46.880 Animation is just EXPENSIVE. 0:04:46.880,0:04:51.220 It is a slow process,[br]and every hour of that work costs money. 0:04:51.220,0:04:53.820 Is all that money best spent here? 0:04:53.820,0:04:58.420 On realistically-rendered simple interactions[br]like picking up a can of beans? 0:04:58.760,0:04:59.740 ...Maybe? 0:04:59.740,0:05:03.120 In most any scenario, for most any other game,[br]I would say... 0:05:03.120,0:05:03.620 NO 0:05:03.620,0:05:04.600 Absolutely NOT 0:05:04.600,0:05:05.660 Are you KIDDING me? 0:05:05.660,0:05:10.180 but Rockstar just isn’t subject to the[br]same limitations as most studios, so... 0:05:10.500,0:05:11.180 You know what? 0:05:11.180,0:05:12.940 Let’s look at this from a different angle… 0:05:12.940,0:05:16.980 Red Dead Redemption 2 is[br]clearly intended to provide a robust 0:05:16.980,0:05:19.740 simulation-style open world experience. 0:05:19.740,0:05:22.840 This enormous sandbox[br]that we’ve been given to play in 0:05:22.840,0:05:28.020 is painstakingly designed to immerse you[br]in that 'Wild West outlaw' fantasy. 0:05:28.020,0:05:32.140 But a big part of the appeal of that wild[br]west fantasy is how grounded it is 0:05:32.140,0:05:35.740 in the historical reality of the[br]late 19th century American west 0:05:35.740,0:05:38.480 (or at least, a romanticized approximation of it). 0:05:38.480,0:05:44.120 And a big part of creating that sense of[br]historical, lived-in reality is in the details. 0:05:44.120,0:05:49.900 So, in a very real way, this robust suite[br]of unusually realistic game animations 0:05:49.900,0:05:53.360 is contributing to that sense of simulated reality. 0:05:53.360,0:05:59.660 By removing as much of the 'video game-y' animation[br]shorthand as possible and respecting the realistic 0:05:59.660,0:06:04.910 detail of the world being presented, these[br]animation systems are unquestionably enriching 0:06:04.910,0:06:07.600 that wild west fantasy simulation. 0:06:07.600,0:06:08.860 But THEN AGAIN... 0:06:08.860,0:06:13.200 there’s a reason other games don’t do this,[br]and it’s not just because of the expense 0:06:13.200,0:06:15.660 (although that is definitely a big reason). 0:06:15.660,0:06:20.100 It’s also because realism can get really[br]repetitive and boring! 0:06:20.100,0:06:21.440 Reality is boring! 0:06:21.440,0:06:25.720 Seeing Arthur reach out and open a cabinet[br]to loot its individual contents 0:06:25.720,0:06:28.160 is impressive as heck THE FIRST TIME, 0:06:28.160,0:06:30.440 but having to sit through[br]one of these animations 0:06:30.440,0:06:33.640 every single time you just want to pick something up 0:06:33.640,0:06:35.040 gets TEDIOUS. 0:06:35.040,0:06:39.940 And when almost every single interaction with[br]the world takes several seconds to play out, 0:06:39.949,0:06:42.690 it has a significant effect on the game’s pace. 0:06:42.690,0:06:46.660 The thing about animating for games is that[br]you've always got to be mindful of how your 0:06:46.660,0:06:49.980 your animation impacts[br]the play experience as a whole. 0:06:49.980,0:06:55.700 This is one of many many places where the[br]disciplines of Animation and Game Design overlap. 0:06:55.700,0:07:00.360 All that game-animation shorthand that [br]other games usually do instead of this? 0:07:00.360,0:07:03.840 We came up with (and still use) that shorthand[br]for a REASON. 0:07:03.840,0:07:05.240 It’s more fun! 0:07:05.240,0:07:09.740 It gets all the tedious stuff out of your[br]way so you can get back to the fun parts. 0:07:09.740,0:07:13.680 In Breath of the Wild, when you want Link[br]to pick something up, he doesn’t reach down, 0:07:13.680,0:07:15.580 grab it and stuff it into his pants. 0:07:15.580,0:07:17.180 You press the button and BAM. 0:07:17.180,0:07:18.180 You have that item. 0:07:18.180,0:07:23.520 It’s quicker, it’s easier, it happens[br]as fast as you can think it, and it just works! 0:07:23.520,0:07:25.040 Players are cool with that. 0:07:25.040,0:07:30.320 No one is sad that Link didn’t spend four seconds picking up each one of these items individually. 0:07:30.320,0:07:33.260 Heck, a lot of the time, we don’t[br]even really consciously NOTICE 0:07:33.260,0:07:35.700 animation shorthand like this in our games. 0:07:35.780,0:07:39.440 Do you ever stop and think about how many[br]doors you walk through in these games that 0:07:39.440,0:07:41.900 your character doesn’t physically open? 0:07:41.900,0:07:46.020 Even in some extremely AAA games,[br]you just click on that door and... 0:07:46.660,0:07:47.600 ...look at that. 0:07:47.600,0:07:48.840 It opens on its own! 0:07:48.840,0:07:52.820 You basically opened the door FOR that character,[br]like a perfect gentleperson. 0:07:52.820,0:07:54.099 And I think that’s great! 0:07:54.099,0:07:58.430 It’s a difference that no one really notices[br]while playing, and not only does it save the 0:07:58.430,0:08:02.590 devs some unnecessary work, but it actually[br]makes the experience of walking through a 0:08:02.590,0:08:06.000 video game door that much less cumbersome[br]for the player. 0:08:06.000,0:08:09.640 Sure, it’s unrealistic, but[br]in a way that bothers nobody and 0:08:09.640,0:08:12.460 tends to actually improve the play experience. 0:08:12.460,0:08:13.900 Or look at Monster Hunter. 0:08:13.900,0:08:17.100 That one is an interesting case,[br]because it’s a franchise that is becoming 0:08:17.100,0:08:21.380 increasingly AAA in its presentation,[br]but has ALSO simultaneously 0:08:21.380,0:08:24.860 started using more[br]animation shorthand than it used to. 0:08:24.860,0:08:29.440 One of the things that makes Monster Hunter[br]World such a huge step up over its predecessors 0:08:29.440,0:08:34.660 is the way it’s done so much to streamline[br]the tedious bits of Monster Hunter gameplay. 0:08:34.660,0:08:36.220 Unlike in the previous games, 0:08:36.220,0:08:39.860 grabbing plants and insects and stuff[br]is INSTANTANEOUS now. 0:08:39.860,0:08:41.520 You don’t even have to stop running! 0:08:41.520,0:08:45.020 Just hit the button, your character kinda[br]does a grabbing motion with their hand 0:08:45.020,0:08:45.740 and BAM. 0:08:45.740,0:08:47.220 That thing is in your inventory. 0:08:47.220,0:08:50.060 And climbing in Monster Hunter World is effortless! 0:08:50.060,0:08:54.880 Unlike your Uncharteds or your Tomb Raiders,[br]where every jump or climbing motion is tied 0:08:54.880,0:08:58.940 to a button press, scaling a wall in Monster[br]Hunter requires nothing more than 0:08:58.940,0:09:00.640 just running at that wall. 0:09:00.640,0:09:02.280 The hunter takes care of the rest. 0:09:02.280,0:09:08.320 And that makes it so you, the player,[br]don’t have to worry nearly so much about terrain[br]while you're out hunting! 0:09:08.320,0:09:12.740 You can just focus on the exciting bit: tracking[br]and fighting that giant monst-- 0:09:12.740,0:09:14.300 AH GEEZ 0:09:15.600,0:09:17.140 But then again (again)... 0:09:17.140,0:09:18.860 Zelda and Monster Hunter? 0:09:18.860,0:09:22.400 These games aren’t aiming for any kind of[br]grounded realism. 0:09:22.400,0:09:24.500 I mean… clearly. 0:09:27.080,0:09:32.340 They are both much more video game-y play[br]experiences than Red Dead is trying to be. 0:09:32.340,0:09:37.460 Maybe you like game-y games more than[br]the simulation-y ones (I tend to favor them myself), 0:09:37.460,0:09:43.300 but each of these play experiences does require a very[br]different approach to animation design. 0:09:43.300,0:09:44.260 That said: 0:09:44.260,0:09:49.540 there is a point at which additional[br]animation fidelity DOES start to detract from 0:09:49.540,0:09:52.680 even a grounded, realistic game experience. 0:09:52.680,0:09:56.740 That point may be different from game to game,[br]but it does exist. 0:09:56.740,0:10:01.100 And Rockstar was clearly aware of that too,[br]because - even in Red Dead 2, 0:10:01.100,0:10:06.320 even in a game where you pick up and loot[br]every single thing individually - they have compromised 0:10:06.330,0:10:09.960 on that sense of animation reality.[br]In a lot of little places! 0:10:09.960,0:10:14.270 I mean, there’s a reason that your character [br]picks up ammunition automatically just by 0:10:14.270,0:10:16.840 running over the guns his enemies drop. 0:10:17.020,0:10:19.420 [ammo pickup sound effects] 0:10:19.580,0:10:21.960 That is a VERY video game-y thing to do! 0:10:21.960,0:10:26.780 But Rockstar know that nobody... NOBODY....[br]wants to watch Arthur stop and 0:10:26.780,0:10:31.980 realistically collect individual bullets[br]from each weapon in the middle of a firefight. 0:10:31.980,0:10:34.040 So they just have him do the game-y thing. 0:10:34.040,0:10:36.900 And we are all kinda grateful for that, right? 0:10:36.900,0:10:41.600 Even in our simulators, players do appreciate[br]those little conveniences. 0:10:41.600,0:10:47.180 And, if streamlining ammo collection was a[br]good idea, maybe streamlining item gathering 0:10:47.180,0:10:49.400 would have been a good idea too? 0:10:49.400,0:10:54.500 Maybe having to loot or interact with every[br]little thing individually DOESN’T enhance 0:10:54.500,0:10:58.700 the Red Dead gameplay experience[br]quite as much as it first appears? 0:10:58.700,0:11:03.100 I’ve been bouncing these questions around[br]in my head for weeks, and (clearly) I don’t 0:11:03.100,0:11:06.740 have a definitive answer for them, probably[br]because there ISN’T one. 0:11:06.740,0:11:11.300 Changing the way looting animates in Red Dead[br]wouldn’t just be making a change to how 0:11:11.300,0:11:13.080 realistic the game looks. 0:11:13.080,0:11:16.280 It would be making a fundamental change [br]to both the game’s pace 0:11:16.280,0:11:19.480 and the game world's sense of internal realism. 0:11:19.480,0:11:22.640 Maybe for worse, but... maybe for better. 0:11:22.640,0:11:27.280 Different games do have different needs, and[br]making the best decision for your own game 0:11:27.280,0:11:31.420 especially when you’re in the middle of making it[br]can actually be REALLY challenging. 0:11:31.420,0:11:35.940 If you happen to be working on a game right now,[br]I guess the best advice I can give is: 0:11:35.940,0:11:42.720 Know experience you’re trying to create, and always[br]ALWAYS look for opportunities to streamline 0:11:42.720,0:11:47.080 It can be really easy to default to realism[br]sometimes when you’re just trying to 0:11:47.080,0:11:49.500 figure out how to visually present something. 0:11:49.500,0:11:52.540 Like, it’s easy to think: “Oh man we’ve got[br]doors in our game... 0:11:52.540,0:11:55.540 hmm... I guess I HAVE to animate[br]our character opening them..." 0:11:55.540,0:11:58.840 But no! Maybe that door can just... open. 0:11:58.840,0:12:00.000 Maybe that’s fine! 0:12:00.000,0:12:05.320 The video game-y animation answer won’t always be[br]the right choice for your specific game, but 0:12:05.320,0:12:07.480 look for those opportunities anyway, because 0:12:07.480,0:12:11.420 It’s good to at least know what your simpler[br]alternative options are. 0:12:11.740,0:12:14.280 [Zelda cooking sounds] 0:12:14.480,0:12:16.340 But I also want to say this: 0:12:16.340,0:12:21.240 Hats off to Rockstar’s animators and[br]technical animation team for ALL of this. 0:12:21.240,0:12:23.640 Like, this is a stunning achievement. 0:12:23.640,0:12:27.520 As a person who plays games, as a person who[br]does this work for a living… 0:12:27.520,0:12:30.180 I am in AWE of what you folks created. 0:12:30.180,0:12:33.840 This is breathtaking, and you should all[br]be proud as hell. 0:12:33.840,0:12:38.800 And I really hope that your employer decides to respect[br]its talent enough to give you 0:12:38.800,0:12:41.320 the sustainable working life you deserve,[br]because DAGGUM. 0:12:41.320,0:12:43.300 You lot sure have earned it. 0:12:43.300,0:12:46.360 Anyway, thank you all for watching[br]and listening to me ramble. 0:12:46.360,0:12:48.980 We’ll get back to our more usual thing next time. 0:12:48.980,0:12:53.900 Until then, subscribe if you want to see more[br]game animation videos, and I’ll see y’all soon!